1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vacuum cleaner with a swivel and swing handle. More particularly, the invention relates to an upright vacuum cleaner to which a swivel and swing handle is fitted through a ball and socket joint and an optional spiral spring.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical upright vacuum cleaner, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a wheeled base 21 equipped with a motor (not shown), an upright portion 22 with the lower end pivotally connected to the wheeled base 21, a handle 11 attached to the upper end of the upright portion 22, a dust bag 23 attached to one side of the upright portion 22, and a long electrical cord (not shown) for plugging in an electrical socket. The upright portion 22 and the handle 11 are either integrally formed, or separately formed and rigidly screwed, bolted, or otherwise connected together.
The handle 11 usually has an angled or curved end that forms a certain angle with the upright portion 22. Moreover, the pivotally connected upright portion 22 can be swiveled from its normal upright position up to nearly 90 degrees, to an almost horizontal position. This along with the angled or curved end of the handle 11 allows some limited flexibility for the user to flex its arm and wrist in maneuvering the vacuum cleaner.
However, because the handle 11 is integrally formed or rigidly connected with the upright portion 22, the user is often required to constantly twist the arm, wriggle the wrist or bend the back in maneuvering the vacuum cleaner around corners or obstacles or to reach under low clearance. As a result, the user would feel sore or even get injured in the arm, the wrist, or the back due to the constant twisting, wriggling and bending. The bodily stress and strain involved in using a conventional upright vacuum cleaner could be rather excessive to older folks who live by themselves and have to vacuum the floor themselves. This is especially so if the rooms to vacuum are clustered with furniture or other household items and a lot of turning around is needed.
What is needed, therefore, is an upright vacuum cleaner that can be moved around and maneuvered more easily with less effort than a conventional upright vacuum cleaner. The objective of the present invention is to fill this need with a new handle structure.